Happy Halloween from the Ridge Historical Society.
Halloween has become a truly American holiday but its origins are in Ireland. The traditions that the Irish brought over to the U.S. in the 1800s turned into today's Halloween customs.
About 2,000 years ago, the Celtic New Year of Samhain was born. The new year started with the end of the harvest. The people believed that at this time of year, the barrier between the physical and spiritual worlds was thinnest, and spirits could cross over into the physical world.
This included the spirits of deceased loved ones, who were welcomed. Places at the table were even set for these spirits.
It also included non-human spirits, like demons and fairies. To scare away these beings, people carved gruesome faces into turnips (rutabagas) and lit them from inside with candles, and placed them on their stoops or in their windows.
When they came to the States, rutabagas were less plentiful , and they discovered pumpkins were much easier to carve.
Thus, jack-o-lanterns began.
They also dressed in fearsome outfits to confuse the demons, leading to costumes. They left out treats for the fairies so the fairies wouldn't play tricks on them, leading to trick-or-treating.